Time Makes One Old

Within the gate, dark undercurrents surged. The slaying of three forbidden land lords could not pass without causing ripples. The emergence of a new forbidden land, Mount Myriad Tribulations, also drew countless eyes. The strike by Su Yu and the Lord of Dead Spirits was monumental news as well. Meanwhile, the Forbidden Land Conference drew near. By now, the major forbidden lands had begun to show themselves. Along the periphery of Severance Gorge, some forbidden lands had taken up residence directly rather than leaving, so that the entire gorge now brimmed with experts. The newly risen powerhouse Su Yu—the new lord of a forbidden land—had become a chief topic of discussion for many. Naturally, Su Yu was currently in Dead Spirit Hell, where none dared provoke him. *** Dead Spirit Hell. Su Yu unfolded his world. Within one of his apertures, a figure lay sealed, seemingly dead yet still alive. Even the total extinction of vitality would not affect him, for he was already suspended in a dormant state of annihilation. Riyue! Su Yu did not know whether that was the man's true name, but he had to be connected to Xing and the others, as well as to the Heavenly Gate. He was an expert of twenty-four Daos. Hardly weak! Any stronger—at twenty-five Daos—and he would have attracted far more notice, drawing scrutiny from the forbidden land lords. Twenty-five Daos marked the upper echelons of the various forbidden lands. Twenty-four Daos was just right. A pinnacle figure among rogue cultivators, second only to the highest leadership within the forbidden lands—capable of speaking with authority, yet not so prominent as to draw undue suspicion. Thus, an expert wielding the power of twenty-four Daos suited Su Yu's purposes quite well. Fewer than thirty days remained until the Forbidden Land Conference—twenty-two days, to be precise. For great powerhouses, twenty-two days could pass in the blink of an eye, a single nap, or a brief cultivation session. Su Yu, however, wished to seize every moment of these twenty-two days and let none go to waste. Twenty-two days here equaled more than two months in the myriad realms. To squander more than two months was, in Su Yu's eyes, squandering life itself. Two months was far too precious. In this realm, no one valued time, yet Su Yu treasured it deeply. To him, time was beyond precious; no one cherished it more than he did. Seventeen years ago, he had obtained the Time Record. Perhaps only four or five years had elapsed here, and no one would ever have guessed that the one who received the Time Record would be Su Yu. At the very least, he doubted the Time Master could have foreseen it. Not only the Time Master, but even Xing, who had merged the Time Record into his body back then, likely could not have imagined it either. Throughout these seventeen years, Su Yu had lived with immense purpose. These past five years especially, since entering the academy, he had treasured time above all else, never wasting a single minute or second. In five short years, Su Yu had accomplished what took others five hundred, five thousand, or even fifty thousand years! A full lifetime, the entire career of a powerhouse—he had achieved everything in five years! Now Su Yu looked down at the sealed Riyue. A tight-lipped man! Even knowing he faced certain death, he refused to utter a single word of truth. This was a man of conviction. Indeed, only genuine conviction could produce such willpower. Only conviction could make a man hold his own life in contempt! Su Yu respected such people, even when they were enemies. Respect, of course, did not mean leniency; he could not afford to be soft-hearted. In that moment, Su Yu's hair turned snow-white, as if weathered by eons, reverting to how he looked when his lifespan was once depleted. A white robe materialized around him. Clad in pure snow-white, his demeanor underwent a subtle transformation. After a moment's contemplation, Su Yu placed his hands upon Riyue. Gradually, wisp after wisp of lifespan was drawn away—faint, minuscule amounts—as the power of time washed lightly over the captive for a spell. It gave the impression of countless years flowing past, leaving no trace behind. Gradually, Riyue's eyelids began to flutter. Yet he did not awaken immediately. The aura across his body steadily recovered. Within him, a tremor of astonishment stirred. Twenty-four Daos of power! He had regained the full force of twenty-four Daos—his peak strength! Before this, his power had been capped; he had never been permitted to recover all twenty-four Daos. *How long have I slumbered?* *How long have I been sealed!* He vaguely sensed someone beside him. *Heimu?* He opened his eyes, and his expression shifted abruptly. The Su Yu before him radiated an ancient, weathered aura. He seemed to stand right in front of him, yet felt utterly ethereal. That sensation... was completely different! He was nothing like the Heimu in his memories, not merely in demeanor, but in aura as well. With flowing white hair, Heimu gave off a radically changed impression. It felt as though countless ages had passed, laden with boundless desolation! Riyue was deeply shaken. No, this aura... it felt vaguely familiar. His expression changed drastically. "Unity..." *Is this the aura of Unity?* *How long have I slept?* *How could this be!* Heimu had only possessed twenty-some Daos before. How many years would it take to reach Unity? Panic seized him. Just how long had he been asleep? "You're awake?" Su Yu opened his eyes. Bright as stars, they regarded him with a trace of ancient sorrow and a faint smile. "You..." "Heimu?" He was no longer even certain if the man before him was Heimu. "No, Su Yu!" Su Yu gave a faint smile. "Do you know me?" "Su Yu..." Riyue searched his thoughts and shook his head. The name was unfamiliar; he only remembered Heimu! "You... are you Heimu?" "Heimu... an ancient name... a title from long ago... I have nearly forgotten it!" Su Yu chuckled with a nostalgic sigh. "Those were truly splendid times!" Riyue froze! He scrutinized Su Yu, stammering after a long pause, "What... what is your cultivation now?" "Mine?" Su Yu let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Ah, don't laugh. I stepped into the super-rank a mere thirty years ago... squandering the years away!" Super-rank! Unity? Riyue's face drained of color. He asked nervously, "How... how long have I been sealed?" "Not long!" Su Yu smiled. "Hardly any time at all—just over a hundred years. After sealing you a century ago, I almost forgot you existed. Coming out of seclusion today, I suddenly remembered you. In the blink of an eye, a hundred years have gone by..." A hundred years? Was that long? Not at all! In a single century, this man had advanced from twenty-some Daos into Unity, and had held that rank for thirty years already. What did that make him? A genius! A peerless prodigy! He truly lived up to being a world-opener, blessed with supreme, unimaginable talent. That meant in merely seventy years after capturing him, this man had conquered countless bottlenecks to enter Unity. That was utterly incredible. Riyue's mind raced. *A century has passed?* *Then the mission I was assigned back then to travel to Mount Yongsheng... ended long ago!* *Did the Forbidden Land Conference conclude a hundred years ago as well?* *And throughout that century, I was kept completely sealed!* As he was lost in thought, a solemn voice called out from below: "Tribulation Master!" Su Yu frowned slightly and looked down. Riyue instinctively glanced down as well, starting slightly. *This person... looks familiar!* Yes, Mingtu! Emperor Mingtu! Why... why was he with Heimu? "What is it?" Su Yu asked impassively. Mingtu said in a deep voice, "Tribulation Master, Mount Myriad Tribulations..." Su Yu waved a hand. "Say no more. Deal with it yourself!" Mingtu could only acknowledge the order and depart. Once he was gone, Riyue studied the departure for a moment before asking, "Mingtu?" "You know him?" Of course he did! Riyue looked bewildered. "Isn't he from Dead Spirit Hell?" Why was he serving under you! "Dead Spirit Hell?" Su Yu chuckled. "Dead Spirit Hell... is long gone. Where would you find a Dead Spirit Hell now? Though today, it has a new name: Mount Myriad Tribulations!" "What?" Su Yu smiled lightly. "This feeling is quite interesting... It brings back fond memories. Dead Spirit Hell, ah..." With that, the world spun around them. The next moment, Riyue found himself in an unfamiliar place. All around was pitch darkness, weighed down by thick, stagnant death qi. Yet there were people! Upon seeing Su Yu, a crowd of figures bowed with boundless reverence: "We pay our respects to the Tribulation Master!" Riyue was stunned. This... this seemed to be Dead Spirit Hell! *I'm inside Dead Spirit Hell?* *How is that possible!* This was the Lord of Dead Spirits' domain! Where was the Lord of Dead Spirits? Ignoring his bewilderment, Su Yu nodded slightly and smiled. "Rise, all of you. Go about your duties!" With that, Su Yu took him on a stroll through the void, sighing with a shake of his head. "Dead Spirit Hell... the Lord of Dead Spirits... an absolute idiot!" Riyue's heart skipped a beat. "Eighty years ago, that fool insisted on picking a fight with the Heavenly Gate, fighting to mutual destruction... Pity, a grand overlord of his generation meeting such a dismal end!" Su Yu gave a self-deprecating laugh. "A pity... truly a pity... And even more of a pity that I happen to be his descendant, left to shoulder this mountain of a burden!" "You... you are the descendant of the Lord of Dead Spirits?" Riyue was utterly dumbfounded! "Weren't you King Wen's descendant?" Su Yu laughed. "You still remember words from all those years ago?" *Of course I do—to me, that was yesterday!* *What do you mean, all those years ago!* *On my end, you told me yesterday you were King Wen's descendant, and today you turn around and claim to be the Lord of Dead Spirits' descendant!* *What madness is this?* *Did the Lord of Dead Spirits die?* *A being that powerful—how could he die!* He glanced around, trying to discern if this was an illusion. He was, after all, an expert of twenty-four Daos. He probed carefully, sensing bit by bit. Su Yu did not stop him. After inspecting for a while, Riyue's heart pounded wildly. *Damn it, this really is Dead Spirit Hell!* If someone could forge an illusion of this scale, radiating this level of might and majesty... it would be utterly inconceivable! At this moment, Riyue was utterly lost! What on earth had happened? A century had passed, the Lord of Dead Spirits had fallen, and Heimu—no, Su Yu—had become the Tribulation Master, a true forbidden land lord? His mind was completely boggled! Mingtu had become his subordinate, and Dead Spirit Hell had been inherited by him. What kind of absurdity was this? "Are we still within the gate?" Su Yu nodded slightly, letting out a sigh. "Still inside! My grandfather and that leader of yours fought each other to mutual ruin... A moronic choice! This realm is on the verge of collapse, yet the portal cannot open... The gate was severely injured! It fell back into slumber once more. Who would have thought the gate was so formidable!" Su Yu offered a bitter smile, but soon chuckled again. "Still, it's fine! Just fine! Only, I'm the one who suffers. That idiot grandfather of mine made me the enemy of the entire world with his actions!" "Now, the forbidden land lords cannot leave, and every few days they come looking for trouble... But that's fine too. If not for that, I could hardly have broken through to the super-rank in a mere seventy years!" At this moment, Riyue filled in the blanks on his own. The Lord of Dead Spirits had fought their leader; the Lord of Dead Spirits fell, the leader went into slumber again, the portal could not open, and conditions inside the gate worsened. The forbidden land lords vented their wrath on Su Yu, battling incessantly... Over a century, Su Yu had inherited Dead Spirit Hell, become a forbidden land lord, and officially entered Unity! This century must have been tumultuous and magnificent! It had to be filled with countless legendary tales! Thinking of this, Riyue could not resist asking, "Then... what about the Forbidden Land Conference back then..." "The Forbidden Land Conference?" Su Yu chuckled. "A mess. A total chaotic mess. All the turmoil started that very day! Over these years, a massive number of forbidden land lords have fallen..." "What?" Forbidden land lords had died? "Forbidden land lords actually perished?" Su Yu laughed. "Even a powerhouse like my grandfather fell; how could the others survive? The Lord of Luohun Valley died, the Soul Lord died, the Demon Ancestor died..." At that, Su Yu smiled. "Too many to count!" Riyue's jaw dropped! What had happened? So many forbidden land lords had died? "Impossible... They... they all wanted to leave the gate. Why would they slaughter one another and die in such numbers?" "Idiot!" Su Yu shook his head. "When you lose all hope of escaping, wouldn't you feel despair? In despair, anything is possible!" He shook his head again. "And that idiot Fa—if he hadn't made a mess of things, so many wouldn't have died!" Su Yu sneered. "He tried to seize the Time Master's Time Record, only to end up outsmarted. The Time Master seized control of his world, inverted heaven and earth, and struck him down instead..." "Impossible!" Riyue refused to believe it. "Fa... was killed?" "Of course!" Su Yu smiled faintly. "Over the years, the turmoil inside the gate has had quite a bit to do with them!" Su Yu refrained from elaborating further; speaking too much invited errors. Riyue, however, could no longer fathom just how many monumental events had unfolded over the past century! Su Yu smiled and added, "I'm in a rare good mood today. Everyone has been wearing long faces all these years, but you, Riyue, have cheered me up quite a bit. How about I take you out for something thrilling?" "What?" Su Yu laughed. "I'll take you to mess with the other forbidden land lords. Lately, those fellows have been itching to kill me, hating me to the bone... You've never felt the wrath of a forbidden land lord, have you? I'll take you out to play... let's see if you enjoy it!" *What kind of nonsense is that?* *I won't enjoy it at all!* Before he could speak, darkness swallowed his vision. They traversed space at terrifying speed. The next instant, the starry void came into view, and his face twisted in horror. Over there... amidst the void lay shattered ruins! It looked like... Luohun Valley? Was that Luohun Valley? It was truly destroyed? He saw it with his own eyes. He could scarcely believe that a great forbidden land, flourishing and overwhelmingly powerful before he was sealed, had vanished in the blink of an eye! Just then, a cold roar reverberated across heaven and earth: "Su Yu, are you seeking death?" Su Yu's hearty laughter rang out: "Just passing through... I came to see if the Demon Ancestor left any treasures behind after he died... Ah, so you're all here. A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! I'll take my leave; I bear no ill will..." Riyue hurriedly peered toward the sound. Several forbidden land lords emerged from the void, overwhelmingly powerful! Their auras surged toward the heavens! The one speaking seemed to be the God Ancestor! What were these forbidden land lords doing gathered here? From their expressions, they harbored intense hostility toward Su Yu! Su Yu immediately fled, his voice transmitting into Riyue's ear: "Run first! Damn it, I must have stepped out on the wrong foot today—those bastards actually gathered together. Rotten luck! If it were just one, I'd have let you watch me thrash a forbidden land lord today... What a pity!" Riyue was already struck dumb with shock! It was real! He would swear that everything he had witnessed was genuine. This could not be faked! That aura, that pressure, that majesty... It was impossible to fabricate, and even if it could be, there was no reason to deceive him! A mere expert of twenty-four Daos was hardly worth such an elaborate spectacle! Luohun Valley truly was destroyed, the Demon Ancestor truly was dead, and the world had descended into chaos... During his century of slumber, what on earth had transpired? The Three Gates had not even opened yet, but it felt as though ten thousand, a hundred thousand years had passed! Seas had turned to mulberry fields! This world was no longer the realm he once knew! *** Soon, Su Yu brought him back to Dead Spirit Hell. Returning him to his world, Su Yu remarked with slight regret, "A pity. I actually wanted to take you to watch the battle between Kong and Shi. Those two have gone mad lately, fighting tooth and nail over there... But those bastards keep watching me day and night!" By now, Riyue was suffering severe mental indigestion. After a long silence, he asked, "Then... what about by the gate..." Su Yu shrugged. "Don't ask me, I don't know! Back then, my grandfather was the first to charge out and clash with the gate, leaving the portal gravely wounded while he perished. No one knows what truly happened on that side. Over these years, the Heavenly Gate has remained shut. Everyone has been suffering to death, forced to endure endlessly until they've nearly gone mad. Look at those forbidden land lords—whenever they see me, it's as if they're looking at the man who killed their fathers. Naturally, I didn't want the gate to stay shut either; I don't want to wait here for death, but this wasn't the outcome I desired!" Riyue was utterly dazed! A mere century of time, and everything had changed? He looked toward Su Yu and asked nervously, "Why... why did you revive me? What do you want to ask?" Su Yu shook his head. "It no longer matters. The gate seems to have sealed itself once more. Whether we know anything about it or not makes no difference now. Though perhaps you could tell me how to reawaken the gate so everyone can leave together... Everyone has lost their minds now!" Su Yu smiled bitterly. "Do you know how to revive the gate? Of course you don't! I'm not trying to goad you, but your strength and status are too low. After it was heavily injured, how could you possibly know how to restore it?" Riyue gave a bitter smile. He truly did not know! "Did the other gates open?" "No idea!" Su Yu shook his head. "With the gate fully sealed, we've lost all contact with the outside world. Now... we know nothing about what lies beyond!" Riyue's face fell in despair. Suddenly, he said, "Could... could you... take me over to the gate to have a look?" Su Yu cursed inwardly! *Have a look, my foot!* *Everything is already this convincing, every bit of it real, and you're still suspicious?* Su Yu frowned slightly. "Go near the gate? I'd like to, but the Lord of Mount Tianqiong is annoyed whenever he sees me now. He forbids me from passing through his territory. If I go, he'll definitely cause trouble, and I'm no match for him!" *You even managed to offend the Lord of Mount Tianqiong?* *How are you still alive!* Riyue was rendered speechless, muttering, "He... won't let you pass..." "Indeed, thanks to my grandfather's fine work... I've drawn the short straw!" Su Yu offered a helpless, bitter smile. Seeing Riyue still appear hesitant, Su Yu smiled. "How about... I take you for some fun, and we go provoke the Lord of Mount Tianqiong?" *Are you out of your mind!* Yet Su Yu's eyes darted with amusement. "Right, let's go have some fun. We'll speak with him politely. If he doesn't stop us, we'll go check out the gate. You're from that side after all; maybe you can sense something, perhaps even open the gate. If we can't get past... well, that's that!" Riyue felt both anticipation and terror. The Lord of Mount Tianqiong was terrifyingly powerful! Don't do anything reckless! Yet Su Yu acted without hesitation, tearing swiftly through the void. His speed was astonishing! *** Atop Mount Tianqiong. The Lord of Mount Tianqiong was still studying the Human Sovereign Seal when his brow suddenly furrowed. *Su Yu?* *Heading toward me?* *For what?* As he wondered, a faint voice carried over: "Mount Lord, I've come hoping to borrow the masters of your Eight Halls for a bit. We're all on the same side—would you let them merge into my world...?" "Get lost!" A furious roar shook heaven and earth! The next instant, Su Yu wheeled around without looking back, speeding away. Wearing a helpless expression, he transmitted to Riyue: "No fun at all. That fellow spotted me from leagues away. Nothing we can do!" Riyue's mind went completely blank! It truly was the Lord of Mount Tianqiong! Moreover... that recluse who never meddled in external affairs had told Su Yu to get lost from leagues away. Su Yu had offended him severely! To have survived until now was truly a miracle! From that sheer aura, Riyue felt that a single glance would have shredded him to pieces! He felt intensely awkward and bewildered, unable to resist asking, "Tribulation Master... how did you end up offending so many people?" "I already told you—the gate was sealed, and everyone vented their anger on me... But does that have anything to do with me? I have no choice either!" Su Yu sounded deeply aggrieved. "So you see, over the past century, troubles have followed me relentlessly. I didn't even dare step outside Dead Spirit Hell. Things are a bit better now after a few fights; since I entered the super-rank, they've grown somewhat wary... Still, I'm far too weak!" Riyue sank into complete dejection. A century was not truly that long, yet such monumental transformations had occurred. The man before him had become the Tribulation Master, the lord of a forbidden land. The gate was sealed! The Lord of Dead Spirits was dead... He was certain of it; if the Lord of Dead Spirits were still alive and Su Yu an outsider, flying brazenly toward his world again and again would have gotten him pulverized long ago! Even if beaten to death, Riyue would never have guessed that all of this had unfolded in less than a month. *** When the two returned to Su Yu's world once more, Su Yu smiled. "Forget it, let's stop running around! I sealed you back then, but times have changed... Lately, many of my subordinates have fallen in battle. Are you interested in serving under me? Since the gate has sealed itself and the world is in chaos, you might as well serve me. I'll help you break through to twenty-five Daos... That way, you'll be a proper vanguard!" Riyue understood his intent—recruitment! Was it only because his losses were so severe that he remembered him? If he hadn't remembered, how much longer would he have remained sealed? He felt like weeping without tears! "Tribulation Master... this... your grandfather and my leader..." Su Yu waved a dismissive hand. "That was their business. They paid the price. You're just a minor figure, merely twenty-four Daos. Over these years, the twenty-four-Dao experts who have died under my command number at least twenty, if not thirty... But right now, I'm short on hands!" *Merely twenty-four Daos!* Were twenty-four-Dao experts so worthless nowadays? Thinking of this, Riyue felt helpless. Where was he supposed to go? Su Yu's performance was simply too convincing—or rather, aside from Su Yu's spoken words, everything Riyue saw and sensed was entirely real! A gathering of forbidden land lords had unwittingly played along with his act! Seeing was not always believing... yet Riyue could never have imagined that someone with twenty-some Daos could become a forbidden land lord in a matter of days. That was impossible. Nor could he imagine that in just a few days, multiple forbidden land lords would perish. Those were beings of eternal permanence! Yet now, they were gone! Nor could he imagine that within days, the name Su Yu would echo across the world, recognized by all, to the point where forbidden land lords wanted to devour him alive at first sight! At this moment, Riyue looked downcast, carrying an ache of unwillingness and helplessness. "If... if only I had arrived in time back then, perhaps... perhaps this wouldn't have been the outcome." Su Yu chuckled. "A mere twenty-four Daos—you overestimate yourself! I know the situation: strictly speaking, you and Fa were in league. But what difference would your arrival have made? Many experts took part in the Forbidden Land Conference back then. What could a twenty-four-Dao cultivator like you change?" Su Yu laughed, offering comfort: "It had nothing to do with you. Fa was simply too careless back then, allowing Wen Yu to turn the tables on him. It was just his misfortune..." Riyue sighed helplessly. "Not necessarily! If I had arrived in time, things might not have turned out this way!" He lamented, "If that had altered the course of events, the Lord of Dead Spirits and our leader... neither might have fallen, and this chaotic mess wouldn't exist!" He was deeply frustrated! Su Yu smiled without speaking, visibly treating it as nothing of consequence. Seeing his skepticism, Riyue wanted to say more, but held back with a sigh. Times had changed, and everything was in the past. What more could he say? Su Yu, on the other hand, cursed internally. *Damn it, spit it out!* *Speak, I'm listening!* *Stopping and starting like this is killing me, don't you know?* *A hundred years have passed already—do you still need to keep such trivial matters secret?* Seeing Riyue fall silent, Su Yu smiled and said, "Even if you had gone back then, what could you have done? Well, it no longer matters. What matters is that Brother Riyue should consider my offer. I need people right now... You've merged into my world as well, so you don't really have any other options, do you? In the past, I wouldn't have bothered saying this. You had your pursuits, and I had mine... But now, your object of faith has fallen into slumber once more. To put it bluntly, you occupy several of my crucial Daos..." Su Yu smiled faintly. "You must have sensed it too—those Daos are quite powerful now, enough to support a cultivator of twenty-six or even twenty-eight Daos! Let me speak plainly... Since things have reached this point, if you still feel you cannot follow me... then my only choice will be to... execute you!" Su Yu's expression grew stern, showing no interest in the events of the past, brushing them aside as mere trivialities. The crux was the Daos Riyue occupied! Riyue's face turned pale! Indeed, he still occupied Daos within the man's world! A bitter expression crossed his face. In the past... killing him would have been fine; he did not fear death, for he had convictions and purpose! Yet now... the portal had slumbered once more. How many years would it take to awaken? A century? A millennium? What about him? Was he supposed to wait here in vain? No, he wouldn't even have time to wait. Su Yu clearly meant to kill him; he had unsealed him only because those Daos needed to be reclaimed, though he likely struggled to find suitable candidates to inherit them... For a moment, Riyue's mind was in turmoil! After a long silence, Riyue lowered his head, lost and bewildered. In this world, there was no longer any place for him! Did he... still need to live? Yes, live! The gate had not perished completely, merely fallen back into slumber. Perhaps things were not as dire as they seemed. Those people might still be alive, residing within the gate! However, he needed time, and he needed strength to awaken the leader! At that moment, Riyue made his choice. Raising his head, he looked at Su Yu and said solemnly, "I... am willing to pledge loyalty to the Tribulation Master!" Su Yu smiled, showing neither excessive joy nor surprise. He nodded. "I knew Brother Riyue would see reason... Then say no more. You have no choice now anyway. I will help you advance to twenty-five Daos!" Su Yu said seriously, "The key lies in whether your comprehension is sufficient. Naturally, I absorbed some of the Demon Ancestor's insights back then—I was nearby when he died—though you might not be able to accept them. Regardless, let's try. Only when you break through to twenty-five Daos can you gain a firm footing under me, and stand steady in this chaotic world!" Riyue, however, said dejectedly, "I can do it. In truth, I could have back then, but reaching twenty-five Daos back then would have made me too conspicuous... Never mind. Tribulation Master, grant me a little time, and I will break through on my own!" Su Yu frowned. "Time is pressing. This isn't like the past." "Rest assured, Tribulation Master. Give me three days... and I will certainly break through!" Su Yu pondered for a moment and nodded. "Then I give you three days!" With that, Su Yu vanished instantly! *** The next moment, the Lord of Dead Spirits materialized, frowning slightly. "A mere twenty-four Daos—do you really need to put on such a show for him?" He had even made a massive scene, venturing outside to provoke the forbidden land lords. Was he mad? All for a weakling of twenty-four Daos! Su Yu's eyes gleamed with a smile. "Hard to say. He's currently the only lead I can grasp who is connected to Renrui! As you said, Fa should be that person's capable supporter! Last time, he likely intended to pass through the City of Light to reach Mount Yongsheng, only to be intercepted by me halfway!" "He might have been carrying a mission on that trip. The Forbidden Land Conference hadn't begun yet... I suspect Renrui's subordinates wouldn't move about lightly, so he may well be the sole liaison!" Su Yu chuckled. "If he can spill some information, perhaps I can use the opportunity to infiltrate Mount Yongsheng, or even learn some secrets! And to him, all of this happened a century ago. Times have changed, and the secrets of the past are worthless now!" "You could have just tortured him!" The Lord of Dead Spirits still felt it unnecessary. Su Yu was exasperated—of course he knew that! However, this man was a tough nut to crack! A being of conviction! His faith had to crumble first; otherwise, how could anyone pry open his mouth? "You spread rumors that I died..." Su Yu replied airily, "Didn't I say my grandfather? Did I say you?" "..." The Lord of Dead Spirits was speechless. Fair enough! Taking advantage of him like this—he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "So you're just going to wait for him to break through?" "Yes! To bolster his confidence!" Fine, the Lord of Dead Spirits didn't care either way. It was only a few days! *** Thus, Su Yu waited in the void for three days. It had to be said, Riyue truly possessed the comprehension for twenty-five Daos; he simply had held back before. Three days later, his aura surged violently! Su Yu appeared instantly, wearing a smile. "Congratulations! To think you truly advanced on your own. My congratulations!" Riyue offered a faint smile, though there was little joy in it. He had broken through, but... what was the use? During these three days, he had reflected deeply. Seeing Su Yu now, he suddenly spoke: "Tribulation Master, if I wish to revive... our leader..." Su Yu feigned immense delight. "Truly? Wonderful! Damn, if he can really be revived and everyone gets out, no one will be targeting me anymore! Right now, since people can't leave, they've all gone mad, targeting me one after another! Even with thirty-two Daos, I can't fend them all off!" Riyue had guessed that Su Yu might agree, yet he had worried Su Yu might refuse because of the Lord of Dead Spirits. He had spoken only after much hesitation! Su Yu smiled. "No need to worry about what happened back then. To be frank, nearly a century has passed, and I have only one thought now... to get out! If I don't, I'll die sooner or later!" Riyue let out a breath of relief! A moment later, he suddenly asked, "Is the Time Master still alive?" "Yes!" "Then perhaps the Tribulation Master could join forces with her..." Su Yu laughed. "Join forces? Are you joking?" "No!" Riyue said earnestly, "The Tribulation Master knows our identities, but the Time Master might not! In her eyes, we were actually helping her..." Su Yu frowned slightly. "You mean back then? How many years has it been? Could she still remember that?" Riyue said solemnly, "I believe she would! Because back then, we even arranged for Wen to enter Mount Yongsheng and negotiate with her... Right, is King Wen dead?" "Dead!" "Then that's for the best. With King Wen dead, the Time Master might not know the truth!" Riyue said hurriedly, "If I had arrived in time back then, perhaps this chaotic age wouldn't have come to pass. Alas... I failed to make it, and the territory likely didn't send anyone else, causing things to go awry! Otherwise, Fa could have successfully merged with the Time Master..." He was full of regret! Su Yu scoffed. "Easier said than done. I heard about what happened back then later on—it wasn't that simple. Fa was kept under her thumb!" "I know that!" Riyue smiled bitterly. "That was actually connected to us as well! To make Time Master Wen Yu willing to open her Time Record here, we paid a tremendous price to persuade her, even helping her seize half the control over the world before she believed us... Otherwise, if she hadn't opened a world, Fa couldn't have opened his, and there would have been no way to merge with her! Had Fa succeeded, he might have become an expert of thirty-five Daos, or even pushed toward thirty-six... What a pity!" His regret was palpable! Within Su Yu, a spark of intrigue ignited. Finally, they had reached the main topic. At this point, it would be unnatural not to show curiosity. Su Yu asked intrigued, "Really? There was such a thing? That wasn't the story back then—Fa was simply suppressed and slain by the Time Master..." "Something must have gone wrong!" Riyue explained, "Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for the Time Master to suppress Fa! Each held half the control within the world, maintaining a balance. That was one of the compromises made to convince the Time Master to merge her Time Record... But we were actually finding a way to increase Fa's control over the world, and my journey to Mount Yongsheng back then was precisely to deliver the method to handle the Time Master!" "Not only that, we had other arrangements. The Forbidden Land Conference was actually meant to push Fa forward to become the leader behind the gate... Yet... it failed!" *Pushing Fa to become the leader inside the gate!* Now this was interesting! Riyue continued, "If Fa had truly succeeded, he would have stood on equal footing with Shi, Kong, and Qiong. Those figures are all reclusive and have little interest in rallying the various factions... The chances of success were actually very high!" If Fa had become the leader and led the forbidden land lords to eliminate King Wen, the Lord of Dead Spirits, and the rest, unifying the forbidden lands, charging out of the gate... they would have formed an unimaginably formidable force! Su Yu was thoroughly intrigued. "Come, tell me the details. I'm quite curious—what trick could you have pulled off for a plan that failed a century ago, even if you had arrived?" Seeing Su Yu's interest, Riyue hesitated briefly before launching into a detailed explanation. It was a failed plan from a century ago, after all! And now, this was his new master! He still needed to rely on Su Yu's power to awaken the leader. With Fa dead, he had no other backing, and on his own, he might not even be able to approach the portal. Hadn't the Lord of Mount Tianqiong barred anyone from passing? Since Su Yu was interested, and so many years had passed, he no longer cared to keep it hidden, laying everything bare. In truth, over these past few days, he had also sensed that he had aged by a full century! Combined with what he had seen and the absurd speed at which Su Yu had grown, a century was already beyond his imagination. If Su Yu hadn't claimed it was a hundred years, he would have thought ten thousand years had passed! Su Yu listened with great interest. His eyes flickered subtly! Things were getting very interesting! *** Outside, the Lord of Dead Spirits watched with deep sighs! Was deceiving people... really this simple? No, it was actually extraordinarily difficult! One could only say that Su Yu's circumstances for deception were simply too perfect. If he were still at twenty-nine Daos, would Riyue not have doubted him? Yet Su Yu had reached thirty-two Daos! With such a prerequisite, how could one not believe him? Furthermore, several forbidden land lords had truly died. That was something an ordinary person could never fathom—being sealed for a few days, only for three eternally enduring forbidden lands to vanish at once! Moreover, Su Yu, who had possessed virtually no fame shortly before, had suddenly become known to all. That was another key factor; no normal person could become universally known in a matter of days, yet Su Yu had done so because he had slain forbidden land lords! The Lord of Dead Spirits shook his head helplessly. Even if he were the one attempting this deceit with the same methods, no one would believe it! He could only conclude that this brat Su Yu was simply too monstrous! *Is he... planning to infiltrate Mount Yongsheng?* He drew in a sharp breath. Another bloodbath was brewing! Those people were truly unlucky to have provoked him. Now, this kid knew everything Riyue knew. While Riyue might not have disclosed every last detail, he had no reason to conceal things that were not critical secrets. With a disguise, so long as his true identity was not exposed, slipping inside would be child's play! Having lived for countless ages, the Lord of Dead Spirits felt for the first time that this young brat had surpassed countless old masters when it came to scheming, cheating, and trickery! *** A short while later, Su Yu emerged, sighing with emotion as he looked at the Lord of Dead Spirits. "How credible do you think it is?" The Lord of Dead Spirits looked at him, speaking only after a long pause: "Do you think a sane person would treat a failed plan from a century ago as a top-secret classified affair?" True enough! Then the credibility was exceptionally high! Su Yu stroked his chin. "Tell me, how difficult would it be for me to infiltrate?" "You opened a world within your physical body, keeping it fully contained. As long as you aren't foolish enough to pick a direct fight with Fa... it shouldn't be much of a problem!" At that point, he couldn't help but add, "Can't you sit still? It's only been a few days, and you're already scheming trouble again?" Su Yu was exasperated. "I've already rested for two whole days!" "..." *Damn you!* Who at this realm calculated time in days? They all measured time in centuries and millennia! *I really have grown old!* At that moment, the Lord of Dead Spirits sighed deeply with melancholy. Time makes one old—he truly had grown old!